Heather Locklear Arrested on Domestic Violence Allegations

Actress Heather Locklear has been arrested on allegations of domestic violence and assaulting a police officer. TMZ reported that Locklear’s brother called police after arriving at her California home and witnessed her and boyfriend Chris Heisser fighting. After police noticed a mark on Heisser’s body they decided arrest Locklear who resisted and in the process allegedly flailed, kicked and struck three police officers.

She has been charged with three misdemeanor counts of battery on a peace officer and one count of domestic violence, she was released from policy custody at $20,000 bail and will face court on March 13.

Locklear recently arrived back from her fifth stint in rehab and has previously been arrested for driving under the influence of a controlled substance. She was also involved in another domestic violence incident with her previous boyfriend Jack Wagner.

Locklear’s arrest and previous history should be a timely reminder that women can be instigators of domestic violence and that male victims of domestic violence should be acknowledged and included in any domestic violence policy response.

In Australia the 2016 Personal Safety Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that one in three domestic violence victims are male and half the people being emotionally abused by their partners are male.

It also found that since 2005 the proportion of men reporting violence in the past year from their partners had risen more than fivefold while those experiencing emotional abuse have more than doubled.

Yet all the media reporting and activism is geared between stopping violence against women. Governments have announced numerous family violence funding packages in the past five years. The Victorian Government even introduced an anti-domestic violence program aimed at preschoolers, Respectful Relationships which teachers young boys they are geared towards domestic abuse.

Luckily there are still some public figures critiquing the myths put out about domestic violence and the domestic violence industry that has sprung up such as clinical psychologist Bettina Arndt, Law Professor Dr Augusto Zimmerman and Liberal Democrats Senator David Leyonhjelm.

Heather Locklear’s arrest is of course only one case, but it has only gained publicity because she is a famous actress. Most men who suffer domestic violence are not given the same media attention and response from government authorities.